U.S. patent application number 17/046529 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-17 for portable user profile for smart buildings.
This patent application is currently assigned to Carrier Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is CARRIER CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Alberto FERRARI, Jason HIGLEY, Matteo RUCCO, Fabrizio SMITH.
Application Number | 20210181698 17/046529 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005461641 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210181698 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SMITH; Fabrizio ; et
al. |
June 17, 2021 |
PORTABLE USER PROFILE FOR SMART BUILDINGS
Abstract
A method and system for using a portable user profile in
multiple smart buildings is disclosed. A method includes detecting
a presence of a user at the smart building; determining that the
user had not previously visited the smart building; retrieving a
portable user profile for the user; and setting access control
rules based on the portable user profile.
Inventors: |
SMITH; Fabrizio; (Rome,
IT) ; RUCCO; Matteo; (Trento, IT) ; FERRARI;
Alberto; (Rome, IT) ; HIGLEY; Jason;
(Pittsford, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CARRIER CORPORATION |
Palm Beach Gardens |
FL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Carrier Corporation
Palm Beach Gardens
FL
|
Family ID: |
1000005461641 |
Appl. No.: |
17/046529 |
Filed: |
April 5, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
April 5, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2019/025951 |
371 Date: |
October 9, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62654653 |
Apr 9, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05B 47/115 20200101;
H04L 67/12 20130101; F24F 11/63 20180101; G05B 15/02 20130101; H04L
67/306 20130101; F24F 2120/00 20180101 |
International
Class: |
G05B 15/02 20060101
G05B015/02; H05B 47/115 20060101 H05B047/115; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; F24F 11/63 20060101 F24F011/63 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for using a portable user profile
in multiple smart buildings comprising: detecting a presence of a
user at the smart building; determining that the user had not
previously visited the smart building; retrieving a portable user
profile for the user; and setting access control rules based on the
portable user profile.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
evaluating context information contained in the portable user
profile and comparing context information with context information
for the smart building.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the context
information includes person independent context information and
person dependent context information.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein: person
independent context information includes information about a layout
of the smart building.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein: person
dependent context information includes information about the user's
role and authorized areas.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: setting
access control rules further comprises determining the user's role
in the smart building.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:
granting access to perform operations on objects based on assigned
attributes of the user contained in the portable user profile.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein: attributes
are selected from one or more of the following: user attributes,
resource attributes, environmental attributes, session attributes,
or action attributes.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: adjusting
the environment comprises adjusting thermal comfort based on
information about the layout of the smart building.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: adjusting
lighting comfort includes adjusting electric lighting and adjusting
window coverings.
11. A computer system for using a portable user profile in multiple
smart buildings comprising: a processor; a memory; computer program
instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the
following method: detecting a presence of a user at the smart
building; determining that the user had not previously visited the
smart building; retrieving a portable user profile for the user;
and setting access control rules based on the portable user
profile.
12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the method further
comprises: evaluating context information contained in the portable
user profile and comparing context information with context
information for the smart building.
13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the context
information includes person independent context information and
person dependent context information.
14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein: person independent
context information includes information about a layout of the
smart building.
15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein: person dependent
context information includes information about the user's role and
authorized areas.
16. The computer system of claim 11, wherein: adjusting the
environment comprises setting access control rules for the user
based on the portable user profile.
17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein: setting access
control rules further comprises determining the user's role and
authorized areas in the smart building.
18. The computer system of claim 11, wherein: adjusting the
environment comprises adjusting thermal comfort based on
information about the layout of the smart building.
19. The computer system of claim 11, wherein: setting access
control rules further comprises determining the user's role in the
smart building.
20. The computer system of claim 11, wherein: adjusting lighting
comfort includes adjusting electric lighting and adjusting window
coverings.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electronics. In
particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and system
for using a portable user profile for smart buildings.
[0002] Today's technology has enabled the integration of new
technologies into buildings that provide a variety of benefits. For
example, power consumption can be reduced through the use of smart
technology, as discussed in greater detail in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 62/644,836, titled "Predicting the Impact of
Flexible Energy Demand on Thermal Comfort." Smart building
technology can provide for the optimization of energy usage as well
as improving usability for tenants, owners, employees, and other
users of a building. One method of providing usability improvements
is through the of portable user profiles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0003] According to one embodiment, a method and system for using a
portable user profile in multiple smart buildings is disclosed. A
method includes detecting a presence of a user at the smart
building; determining that the user had not previously visited the
smart building; retrieving a portable user profile for the user;
and setting access control rules based on the portable user
profile.
[0004] In addition to one or more features described above, or as
an alternative, further embodiments may include evaluating context
information contained in the portable user profile and comparing
context information with context information for the smart
building.
[0005] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein the context
information includes person independent context information and
person dependent context information.
[0006] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein person
independent context information includes information about a layout
of the smart building.
[0007] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein person
dependent context information includes information about the user's
role and authorized areas.
[0008] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein setting access
control rules comprises determining the user's role in the smart
building.
[0009] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein granting
access to perform operations on objects based on assigned
attributes of the user contained in the portable user profile.
[0010] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein attributes are
selected from one or more of the following: user attributes,
resource attributes, environmental attributes, session attributes,
or action attributes.
[0011] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein adjusting the
environment comprises adjusting thermal comfort based on
information about the layout of the smart building.
[0012] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein adjusting the
environment comprises adjusting lighting comfort based on
information about the layout of the smart building.
[0013] In addition to features described above, or as an
alternative, further embodiments may include wherein adjusting
lighting comfort includes adjusting electric lighting and adjusting
window coverings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The following descriptions should not be considered limiting
in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like
elements are numbered alike:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or
more embodiments;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or
more embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system capable of
performing one or more embodiments;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer program
product; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or
more embodiments;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of one
or more embodiments;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or
more embodiments;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or
more embodiments; and
[0023] FIG. 9 is a diagram of a group formation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the
disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of
exemplification and not limitation with reference to the
Figures.
[0025] The term "about" is intended to include the degree of error
associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon
the equipment available at the time of filing the application.
[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a",
"an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well,
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further
understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when
used in this specification, specify the presence of stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0027] Thermal comfort in an indoor location is achieved through
the use of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units
placed throughout the indoor location. HVAC can be very expensive,
representing up to 65 percent of energy consumption of a
building.
[0028] In the past, there have been many different ways of
controlling the thermal comfort and thus the energy consumed to
achieve a thermal comfort level. A very approximate way of doing so
is to manually control air conditioning and heating units--turning
them on and off as needed, depending on if a building's occupants
are comfortable. Later, thermometers were added--if too high a
temperature was sensed, an air conditioning system could be
switched on to cool the room. If too low a temperature was sensed,
a heating system could be switched on to heat the room. As
technology became more sophisticated, additional methods were
added.
[0029] Advancements in technology have enabled machine-learning
methods and systems to be used to monitor and learn thermal comfort
levels of occupants. Using voting techniques, one or more
embodiments can determine a comfort level of each occupant of a
group of occupants. Thereafter, a thermal profile can be updated
based on the received feedback.
[0030] In addition to the thermal profile, there can be additional
parameters stored in a full profile. In one or more embodiments,
machine-learning methods and systems can be used to monitor and
learn a variety of categories of information (also known as
"aspects"). A full profile includes a variety of information mined
from historical data that can be used to increase building
efficiency and/or add to a user's convenience or experience. In one
or more embodiments, five or more aspects can be mined to obtain
insights about a user in a variety of different categories. The
aspects are stored as a tuple in a knowledge base.
[0031] In general, a tuple can be formed by the type of input data,
the data preprocessing chain, and which computational model is used
for processing the input data. The tuple can be accessed by a smart
building to customize each user's experience in the smart building,
based on the mined data. The data is pre-processed and a
machine-learning algorithm is used on the data to perform
predictions on the data or to perform clustering on the data (to
determine similarities between users). A global score can be
defined for each aspect and for each user. Thereafter, the global
scores can be compared and clustered among multiple users based on
similarities.
[0032] The aspects will now be described. Thermal comfort is
described in greater detail in co-pending U.S. Patent application
Ser. No. 62/644,813, titled "Machine-Learning Method for
Conditioning Individual or Shared Areas," the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
[0033] To explain thermal profile briefly, in a smart building,
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can be
controlled using a concept called thermal comfort. Thermal comfort
uses a variety of measurements of a room to estimate the thermal
comfort level of the room. The measurements can include
temperature, humidity, air velocity, and the like. A field can be
generated that estimates a thermal comfort level of the room being
conditioned. Using one of a variety of different methods, a user
can indicate whether or not the user is comfortable in the present
thermal condition. If the user is too cold or too hot, the user's
deviation from the estimation can be stored in a thermal profile.
The thermal profile would indicate, for example, that a particular
user generally likes his rooms to be warmer than most people or
cooler than most people. This thermal profile could allow a smart
building to sense or predict that a user has entered a particular
room and adjust the room's thermal comfort level when the user
enters the room. This can even be done in advance if, for example,
the user's calendar or reservation indicates that the user will be
in a particular location at a particular time.
[0034] The use of such a thermal profile also has advantages in
building efficiency. If a user does not like cold rooms,
unnecessary use of air conditioning systems can be avoided. If a
room is unused, the room does not need to be heated or conditioned,
with the knowledge that the room will be at a comfortable thermal
level by the time the room is occupied.
[0035] Another aspect that can be monitored and stored in a user
profile is visual (or lighting) comfort. Visual comfort can include
a variety of different aspects of a room related to a user's
vision. This can include lighting, shades, blinds, and the
like.
[0036] With respect to lighting comfort, each user might have
different levels of comfort depending on the quantity and quality
of lighting. Quantity of lighting can include amount of lighting,
measured, for example, in lumens through the use of a light meter.
Some users may, in general, prefer a brighter environment than
other users. Some users may have poor night vision and thus prefer
to have brighter lighting than other users. Other users may be
sensitive to bright lighting and prefer a less bright area.
Quantity of lighting also can include lighting from windows.
Shades, blinds, and other window coverings can be controlled by the
smart building (for example, through the use of motorized window
coverings) to provide the desired quantity of lighting. Sensors can
measure the amount of natural light in a room and adjust the light
level in the room based on the natural light. Quality of lighting
can include various aspects of the type of lighting. Aspects such
color temperature of lighting also can be monitored and adjusted.
For example, it could be found that a certain user prefers a
natural color temperature (e.g., around 5000K) during the daylight
hours, but a "warmer" color temperature during the night (e.g.,
around 2700K). Thereafter, when the user is in a room, the color
temperature of the light can be adjusted to meet his
preferences.
[0037] Services interaction refers to the manner in which a user
interacts with the various services provided by the building. For
example, one user may utilize the elevators four times per day and
another may use the elevator eight times per day. One user may
prefer one particular cafeteria while a different user may use a
different cafeteria more often.
[0038] The services interaction data can be used in conjunction
with the data regarding patterns of movement. Patterns of movement
refers to the areas of the building which the user utilizes. These
movements can be tracked in one or more of a variety of different
manners. For example, some buildings have access cards or key cards
that utilize a variety of technologies, such as RFID or magnetic
stripes, that enable the holder of the card to access certain areas
of a building. In addition, some buildings are now adding access
technology to mobile electronic devices, such as smart phones,
tablets, MP3 players, eReaders, smart watch, health tracker, and
any other type of device that has computational capabilities. Those
mobile electronic devices can then be used to gain access to
various rooms. Other access granting devices can use biometric
information, such as fingerprint readers, facial recognition,
retinal scans, and other biometric devices that rely on a
characteristic of a person to grant access to a room or area of a
building. Information regarding access to rooms or areas can be
stored as patterns of movement.
[0039] In addition, a variety of sensors placed throughout a smart
building can allow the tracking of users as the user moves through
a building. Sensors can be of any type. For example, facial
recognition algorithms can be used in conjunction with cameras to
determine when a user enters certain areas of a smart building. A
user's mobile electronic device can be used to in conjunction with
wireless transmitters (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, near-field
communication (NFC), ANT, and other wireless protocols. A signal
can be sent by the wireless transmitter. When a mobile electronic
device receives the signal, the mobile electronic device can
transmit a response signal. The response signal can be associated
with a particular mobile electronic device. Each mobile electronic
device can then be associated with a user. In such a manner, the
user's movements can be tracked to determine what areas of the
building the user frequents.
[0040] Another aspect is health status. Health status can include
any type of health information commonly tracked using a mobile
electronic device. For example, heart rate and body temperature can
be tracked to determine if a user is ill. If the user is ill,
adjustments can be made to the room in which the user is located,
to improve the user's comfort.
[0041] The aspects can be combined with context information.
Context information can be broadly categorized as either person
independent context information and/or person dependent context
information.
[0042] Person independent context information includes information
that is the same for every user within a building. Examples of
person independent context information includes information about
the building (e.g., layout of the building, materials of the
building, dimensions, orientation of the building, and the like)
and weather information (e.g., temperature, cloudiness,
sunrise/sunset times, and the like).
[0043] Person dependent context is information specific to a
particular user. For example, the scope of the user's visit can be
part of the context information. While the above-described usage
contemplates a single user, with thermal and lighting comfort
prioritized for the single user, there are often times when there
are multiple users in a room. In such a case, thermal and lighting
comfort is set such that the greater number of users are within a
certain level of comfort. When determining a comfort level for a
group of users, priority can be given to certain users, such that
their preferences receive a greater weight. For example, a hotel
may choose to prioritize the comfort of the guests over the comfort
of the employees. Therefore, a user's status as being a guest or an
employee can be taken into consideration as part of the person
dependent context information. For a particular user, the status as
a guest or employee can change based on context. For example, a
user could be an employee at one hotel, but a guest at the same
hotel chain, at a different location (for example, on a vacation.)
This status also can travel to different businesses. For example, a
user's profile at an office building could be shared with a hotel.
Therefore, when the user travels to a hotel on vacation (or
business), the user's preferences regarding thermal comfort and
lighting can be retrieved and used to make the user's stay at the
hotel more enjoyable.
[0044] The various aspects described above can be combined and used
together, along with the context information, to provide a better
experience for the user and to improve a building's efficiency. For
example, based on the tracked patterns of movements, the building
could predict that a particular user will wake up a 6 am. The
thermal condition and lighting conditions of the room can be
optimized for that user. Thereafter, the area where the user eats
breakfast can be prepared for the user in advance, based on the
predicted location of the users. The same can be done in an office
environment, with a conference room prepared for the user prior to
the user even enters the conference room. In such a manner, the
user's comfort conditions and the user's preferences and be
discovered and anticipated. In addition, the same profile can be
shared among multiple buildings and used as a digital signature of
the user between buildings. For example, a hotel chain can have a
user's profile. When the user enters another hotel in the chain,
even if the user has never been in that particular hotel before,
the user's preferences regarding thermal comfort, lighting comfort,
and the like can be set for him, providing a consistent user
experience for him. The sharing among buildings will be discussed
in greater detail below.
[0045] In some embodiments, for privacy reasons, any of the above
listed features can be switched off. While some users may
appreciate the features that customize the user's experience in the
smart building, other users may value their privacy. In some
embodiments, the user can turn off one or more of the tracking
features at any time. For embodiments in which the profile is
shared among multiple smart buildings, the user can have the option
of turning on the tracking in some buildings (e.g., the user's own
home), but turn off tracking in public buildings (e.g., a
hotel).
[0046] With respect to FIG. 1, a method 100 is presented that
illustrates the operation of one or more embodiments. Method 100 is
merely exemplary and is not limited to the embodiments presented
herein. Method 100 can be employed in many different embodiments or
examples not specifically depicted or described herein. In some
embodiments, the procedures, processes, and/or activities of method
100 can be performed in the order presented. In other embodiments,
one or more of the procedures, processes, and/or activities of
method 100 can be combined, skipped, or performed in a different
order. In some embodiments, method 100 can be executed by a system
300.
[0047] Method 100 illustrates the process for creating a profile
for a smart building. A user is sensed (block 102). The sensing can
take place using one of a variety of different methods. For
example, a variety of different sensors can detect the presence of
the user at a location. The sensors can include cameras, audio
sensors, card readers, wireless transducers that detect the
presence of a mobile electronic device, and the like.
[0048] Thereafter, the user's actions are monitored (block 104). As
described above, the monitoring can include the user's movements
and the user's use of the building's facilities (e.g., rooms,
elevators, restaurants, vending machines, and the like). In some
embodiments, the monitoring can include integration with a user's
electronic calendar. For example, a user can maintain their
calendar using an electronic calendar system. One or more
embodiments can link to the user's calendar (with the user's
permission) to determine where the user will be, such as an
appointment or meeting in a particular conference room or office
within a building complex.
[0049] In addition to monitoring, there can be a set of access
control rules associated with the profile. Access control rules can
be configured to grant or forbid a user access to a certain set of
resources. Resources can include actuators, controls, sensors, or
commands. Resources can also include floors of a building or rooms
within a building. Thus, the profile can indicate that some people
(such as people who work maintenance) have access to areas
otherwise restricted to the general public. Similarly, access
control rules can indicate that a user with an apartment on the
twelfth floor of a building only has access to the twelfth floor of
the building (and any common areas of the building).
[0050] For an employee, access control rules can indicate that the
user has the ability to change certain parameters that a typical
tenant has no access to. For example, a person in security can have
access to elevator controls that a general user of a building does
not have.
[0051] Access control rules also can include user-dependent context
information (such as the role or scope of the visit of a user), as
well as user-independent context information, such as information
related to the physical layout of the building.
[0052] In some embodiments, access control rules can be applied in
a given environment even if there are no statements related to the
environment located within the user' profile. In such a case,
alternative applicable rules can be identified through the use of
available contextual information. For example, a user might be set
to always be able to control the lighting and HVAC parameters of a
guest room, if the user's context is a guest.
[0053] The monitoring also can include user feedback (block 106).
User feedback can be in the form of a human machine interface (HMI)
used by the user to interact with the smart building. An exemplary
human machine interface can include a mobile electronic device or a
terminal located on a wall. An exemplary use of an HMI is that a
user can utilize his mobile electronic device to indicate that he
is too warm. The smart building will note the adjustment relative
to the current thermal comfort level of the area in which the user
is located. Similarly, the user can make similar notifications with
respect to lighting preferences.
[0054] A profile is built using the gathered data and user feedback
(block 108). The profile can include information regarding each of
the aspects described above, as well as any other aspects that can
be useful for a smart building.
[0055] The profile can be shared with other buildings (block 110).
This can include other buildings within the same location (e.g.,
other buildings on an office or college campus), related buildings
(e.g., buildings operated by the same entity), or subscribers to a
profile service.
[0056] Thereafter, whenever the user enters a location that has his
profile, the profile can be retrieved (block 112) and adjustments
can be made to the user's environment based on the information in
the profile.
[0057] In a group setting (i.e., the user is located in a room or
area with multiple users), the profile for each user can be
retrieved and analyzed as above. The adjustments can be based on a
score assigned to each user, taking into account similarities
between users, using machine-learning techniques (block 114).
[0058] With respect to FIG. 2, a method 200 is presented that
illustrates the operation of one or more embodiments. Method 200 is
merely exemplary and is not limited to the embodiments presented
herein. Method 200 can be employed in many different embodiments or
examples not specifically depicted or described herein. In some
embodiments, the procedures, processes, and/or activities of method
200 can be performed in the order presented. In other embodiments,
one or more of the procedures, processes, and/or activities of
method 200 can be combined, skipped, or performed in a different
order. In some embodiments, method 200 can be executed by a system
300.
[0059] In addition to the above, user's habits can be mined from
historical data and then leveraged to improve capabilities of
physical access control systems. The historical usage data of the
user is mined from the historical data that is generated during
user/building interaction (as detailed below with respect to FIG.
6). The usage data can be mined to determine context information
for use with access control systems. The focus of the profiling in
this case is to identify patterns in the user's habits. These
patterns can include visited rooms, elevators used, facilities
used, and services used.
[0060] The method can include an integration platform. The
integration platform can be used to acquire the history of
building-occupants interactions from heterogeneous building
systems. Exemplary heterogeneous building systems include, but are
not limited to, access control systems, cameras, occupancy sensors,
indoor positioning beacons, agenda information, and structural
plans and models of the building. The learned patterns are used to
analyze access events (e.g., the use of a card reader or other
access-granting device).
[0061] Method 200 details an algorithm that can be used to
determine potential security threats or other anomalous behavior
when analyzing the access events. Method 200 assumes that a profile
already exits. A combination of sensors, access granting devices,
and the like are used to constantly monitor the location of the
users (block 202). As described above, this can include monitoring
the mobile electronic device of a user as well as the user's key
card or other access granting device. The user's activities can be
compared to previously stored activities in a knowledge base (block
204). The user's activities can include the user's habits,
including visited rooms, used elevators, and facilities and
services exploited and other tracked aspects describe above. If an
anomaly is detected, a potential security threat is indicated
(block 206). Thereafter, further investigation can be performed on
the user's movements and actions (block 208).
[0062] If a user's credentials are used on an area that the user
typically does not travel to or to which the user does not have
access, that can be an indication that a bad actor has the
credentials. For example, in an office building situation, if a
user only goes to the fifth floor and the eighth floor, those
tendencies can be stored in the user's profile within a knowledge
base. If the user is accessing the tenth floor, that can be flagged
as unusual. This might not be an immediate alarm, for the user may
have a very good reason to be on the tenth floor when he typically
never goes to the tenth floor. For example, a once yearly meeting
can be taking place on the tenth floor. Or the user might be
delivering a package he wrongly received.
[0063] Similarly, some profiles include access-granting privileges.
The user may be allowed to visit certain rooms that are restricted
by a key card or mobile electronic device reader. However, the user
may not be allowed to visit other rooms that are restricted by a
key card or mobile electronic device reader. If the user attempts
to visit a room or area to which he is not allowed to visit, an
anomaly could be triggered.
[0064] However, the user's credentials being used in an atypical
manner could be an indication that the user has lost his key card
or mobile electronic device. The investigation can take place in
one of a variety of different manners. For example, the user's
calendar (if the user had previously granted access) can be
compared to the user's movements. If the annual meeting on the
tenth floor is found in the calendar, than the anomaly is explained
and no further investigation needs to take place.
[0065] In some instances, if the anomaly cannot be explained, a
further watch can be placed on the user's credentials (block 210).
In such a manner, each action of the user can be monitored more
closely to ensure that the user is not a bad actor.
[0066] With respect to FIG. 5, a method 500 is presented that
illustrates the operation of one or more embodiments. Method 500 is
merely exemplary and is not limited to the embodiments presented
herein. Method 500 can be employed in many different embodiments or
examples not specifically depicted or described herein. In some
embodiments, the procedures, processes, and/or activities of method
500 can be performed in the order presented. In other embodiments,
one or more of the procedures, processes, and/or activities of
method 500 can be combined, skipped, or performed in a different
order. In some embodiments, method 500 can be executed by a system
300.
[0067] Method 500 is a method for automatically measuring a user's
satisfaction with respect to a smart building. A user can express
comfort or discomfort for each aspect being measured. The comfort
level of the users can be measured to find and rank discomforting
conditions. This can be of use by building management to make
repairs or improvements to their building. Method 500 determines
the user's satisfaction during a visit and can be configured to
determine satisfaction for every visit. Method 500 is used after a
user profile has already been established. The user's actions are
observed for a certain time period (block 502). The length of the
time period can be set to any convenient length of time. In some
embodiments, the length of time is approximately one week. Based on
the user's profile, a set of the user's expectations are generated
using machine-learning techniques (block 504). The current
environmental status of the building is obtained (block 506). The
environmental status includes lighting comfort as well as thermal
comfort. Environmental status can also include data about the
building, such as the presence of malfunctions and a current
population of the building (how many people are currently occupying
the building).
[0068] Satisfaction of the user is measured (block 508). This can
be done using a human machine interface (HMI). An exemplary HMI is
a mobile electronic device. A software application (also known as
an "app") can be executed on a mobile electronic device (such as a
smartphone, tablet, or smart watch). On the app, the user can note
his satisfaction level. In some embodiments, the user can note
details of why he is feeling his current satisfaction level.
[0069] The satisfaction level, as well as deviations from the
user's expectations and the current environmental status are noted
and stored in a knowledge base (block 510). Once such data is
acquired for multiple users, the data is analyzed and the
generation of expectations is optimized (block 512). Analysis can
include assigning weights to each of the aspects as well as other
tracked information. For example, while crowdedness might not be an
aspect, crowdedness could affect thermal comfort. So a weight can
be assigned to crowdedness, to predict how crowdedness affects a
user's satisfaction level. Each aspect can be ranked using Feature
Ranking methodology. In such a manner, using data from each user,
one can determine the most informative aspects, such as the aspect
that need the most improvement. Exemplary algorithms that can be
used include F-Test and Mutual Information algorithms.
[0070] Machine learning techniques can be used to optimize a
solution of determining the weights to assign for each condition.
In some embodiments, a support vector machine can be used as a
classifier. Once the system has performed the classification,
corrective actions can be used to solve the issues found. In some
embodiments, a Learning Modulo Theory (LMT) approach can be used
that is an optimization solver to determine the weights.
[0071] Once weights are determined, method 500 can be re-iterated
to further refine the weights. The weights can be used to determine
how the smart building should best react to certain conditions. For
example, certain levels of crowdedness may impact users in
unforeseen ways, meaning that smart building should respond in a
different way to certain environmental conditions than when the
building is less crowded.
[0072] Cluster analysis can be used to find users with similar
feelings. These clusters can be used to find statistically
significant discomforting conditions. This can involve a
statistical test, such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, to compare
clusters and highlight statistically relevant differences.
[0073] In such a manner, an automatic system for detecting and
weighting discomforting conditions during the user's occupation of
a building is disclosed. A smart building can implement correcting
actions for improving user experience based on the measure of
satisfaction.
[0074] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagrams illustrating a system 600
for the purpose of mining and deploying a user profile for a smart
building. First, the profiling phase occurs. A user 602 interacts
with a smart building through a variety of interfaces 610, 612, and
614. While only three interfaces are shown in FIG. 6, it should be
understood that a greater or lesser number of interfaces can be
used. Interfaces 610, 612, and 614 represent any manner in which
user 602 can interact with the smart building. These can include
the user's own mobile electronic device, key cards or other access
cards, elevator call buttons, access control devices, light
switches, other legacy control systems (e.g., thermostats), and the
like. Each of interfaces 610, 612, and 614 can interact with
building service integration platform 616. Building service
integration platform 616 serves as a link between each of the
interfaces 610, 612, and 614 and the actual services provided by
the smart building. The services can include access control 620
(such as door locks and other entrance control devices), elevators
622, HVAC 624, and lighting 626. It should be understood that
lighting 626 can include, not only controls for light fixtures, but
also include controls for window coverings (such as shades, blinds,
and the like). Each interaction that user 602 has with the smart
building, through building service integration platform 616, is
processed by aspect manager 630. Aspect manager 630 can receive
additional information (such as context information) from knowledge
base 640. As more and more data is gathered for each user, the
information processed by aspect manager 630 is stored in a
distributed profile repository 632.
[0075] Aspect manager 630 can collect the event information and
mine data by each aspect. Thereafter, an ideal machine-learning
algorithm can be determined to use for the processing of the data.
This can occur using an iterative process, in which a new
machine-learning algorithm is used for each iteration to determine
which algorithm results in the best model. Thereafter, the selected
aspect model is stored in the profile repository 632.
[0076] A second phase that can occur is the "adaptive enactment"
phase. This phase applies the profile to the various aspects. This
phase uses system 600 the will be discussed in conjunction with the
flowchart 700 of FIG. 7.
[0077] An event occurrence is sensed (block 702). This occurrence
can be an input of the user 602 through the use of one of the
interfaces 610, 612, or 614. Or it can be a sensor acting as one of
the interfaces that detects user 602. The event is filtered to
determine if there are any related events (block 704). There can be
instances where multiple interfaces detect the same event or
related events. For example, traveling to a certain floor to enter
a certain room can be considered related events. Information is
then retrieved from profile repository 632 (block 706) to determine
which model to use based on the aspect and the user and from
knowledge base 640 (block 708) to gather contextual
information.
[0078] Aspect manager 630 then selects and executes the selected
model (block 710) to recommend a course of action (block 712). The
recommended course of action is then executed by building services
integration platform 616. For example, the course of action may be
to change the lighting, call an elevator, change HVAC settings, or
the like.
[0079] Another aspect of the above-described system is
attribute-based access control. The user authorization profile may
be stored in a distributed profile repository or in a user's mobile
electronic device. The profile can include credentials as well as
an activity history log, user-related attributes, and a collection
of action/resource request templates. The profile may encode
abstract actions on building resources that a given human-machine
interface may use in requesting a user's authentication profile. In
some embodiments, there may be multiple types of profiles--an
authorization profile that grants access to various areas of a
smart building and aspects of a building, and a "comfort profile",
which may be used to control preferences with respect to lighting
and comfort. In some embodiments, the comfort profile and
authorization profile may be combined into a single user
profile.
[0080] There are a variety of attributes that can be used. User
attributes may include attributes that describe a user, such as
age, name, office number, job role, security clearance, address,
trust level, and the like. User attribute may also include dynamic
contextual information, such as the location of the user and the
scope of the user's visit. Resource attributes include a
description of the resource that is the subject of the action
performed by the user. This can include metadata such as type (set
point, command point, sensor point), the device associated with the
resource (e.g., thermostat or card reader), the associated physical
or status property (e.g., temperature or fault status), the
location of the user, and the like.
[0081] Environmental attributes may be derived from the conditions
when a request is made. Changing conditions may require other
attributes to be evaluated at the time of the request.
Environmental attributes also may include temperature, ambient
noise, or other contextual information relevant to access control.
Session attributes may include properties of the current session of
the user or be related to sessions that occurred in the past, such
as physical properties of the human machine interface, rate or type
or history of access request and the like. Action attributes may be
used to specify the action to be performed on the resource.
[0082] In operation, an access control system may validate a
resource access request submitted via a human machine interface.
The access control system also may validate the user's credentials.
The access control system can interact with the knowledge base and
with the smart building to add environmental and session attributes
to the resource access request.
[0083] The submitted resource access request is evaluated against a
set of access policies that are available for the specific site.
Access policies can be created using policy languages and limit
access to certain resources or objects. This can be based on a
result of a Boolean statement that compares attributes. This allows
for flexible enforcement of real world policies, while only
requiring knowledge of some subset of attributes about a given
user, as opposed to knowing the identity of the user and to what
roles or permissions have been manually assigned to the user.
[0084] If at least one access policy grants authorization to the
request, and no policy prevents it, a token can be sent back to the
human machine interface. The human machine interface passes the
token to the smart building. The smart building validates the token
through the access control system. If validated, the requested
access is executed. The output of the action is returned via the
human machine interface. The result is presented to the user and
the action is logged.
[0085] A resource access request may be derived from a request
template, profile information, and contextual information during
various interactions between a user and the smart building. The
requests can be defined in terms of attributes (describing the
user, resource, environment, and action) that are linked to the
shared descriptions provided by the knowledge-base in order to be
seamlessly applicable across heterogeneous environments.
[0086] Another feature of the above-described system is the ability
to share the profile across multiple sites. The user profile
described above can be portable across different sites. This can
include, not only buildings owned or operated by the same entity
(such as a college or office campus or a chain of hotels), but also
buildings owned or operated by different entities. In other words,
a hotel chain can share profile information with an office building
or with a shopping mall or an apartment building that is owned or
operated by a different entity.
[0087] As discussed above, a user profile is created through the
fusion and reconciliation of data from one or more building system
interfaces (for example, interfaces 610, 612, and 614). The profile
for each user is stored in distributed profile repository 632. Each
system and associated building is described in knowledge base 640
according to shared conceptual structures. Each profile in profile
repository 632 is regularly updated according to the user's
interactions with the systems that are operating in each visited
building, and linked to the shared descriptions (such as the
context information) stored in knowledge base 640. In such a
manner, each user's profile can be seamlessly applicable across a
multitude of environments.
[0088] Thereafter, when a user enters an unvisited environment, the
user's profile can be retrieved. The profile can include
credentials, the user's activity history log, user-related
attributes, a collection of action/resource request templates, and
the like. The unvisited environment can be compared to environment
and context of environments that the user had previously visited.
Thereafter, the environment of the unvisited location can be
adjusted to an estimated comfort level based the user's profile and
the context of the places he had visited previously. For example,
if the user had previously visited a hotel as a guest, different
hotels could use that information to determine a proper environment
for the user's stay as a guest at a previously unvisited hotel.
Information regarding the user's preferences as an employee can be
given less weight, because those locations do not share the same
context. The user's profile can be treated as a "digital signature"
that can enable advanced interfaces and offer a holistic, cohesive,
and personalized experience across different buildings and systems
therein.
[0089] In addition, access control policies can be issued by
different authorities. Access control policies serve to express, in
a declarative fashion, the granting or forbidding of access. Access
control policies also can include user-dependent context
information as well as user-independent context information.
[0090] The profile can include user authorization information that
details access control rules that are portable among multiple
buildings. The user-dependent context information (e.g., whether
the user is an employee or a guest), can be used to determine the
access the user has regarding a system. In addition, the
user-independent context information (e.g., the size and shape of
the building, the purpose of the various rooms, and the like) can
be used to determine thermal comfort and lighting comfort.
[0091] There can be alternative applicable access control rules
identified through available context information. For example, a
user might be always allowed to access lighting and HVAC parameters
of a guest room at a hotel where the user is a registered
guest.
[0092] In some embodiments, it can be desirable to detect the
intent of users for a variety of advanced building applications.
Exemplary applications can include egress, occupancy-based building
control, and destination management systems. It can be desirable to
model a group's behavior to learn the user's intents while
preserving the privacy of the users and detecting abnormal
behavior.
[0093] A flowchart 800 illustrating such a use case is shown in
FIG. 8. An environment is monitored using one or more sensors
(block 802). The environment being monitored can be a room inside a
building or a common area adjacent to a building, or the like. The
environment can include several rooms. The sensors being used can
be any one or combination of sensors. Exemplary sensors can include
cameras, presence detection sensors, wireless transceivers, and the
like.
[0094] People are detected within the environment being monitored
(block 804). Groups of people can be sensed in one of a variety of
different manners. A group can be broadly understood as a social
unit that includes several members who stand in status and
relationships with one another. A type of group being analyzed can
include free-standing conversational groups (FCGs). An FCG is an
ensemble of co-present person engaged in ad-hoc encounters. These
can be considered focused encounters. Exemplary FCGs can include a
party, a decoration session, or an office meeting.
[0095] FCGs can be detected by computing the facing formation (also
known as an F-formation) from the spatial position and orientation
of the occupants. An F-formation is a proper organization of three
social spaces (illustrated in FIG. 9). An O-space 910 is a convex
empty space surrounded by the people (902) involved in a social
interaction, where every participant is oriented inward toward the
O-space 910. No external people are present in O-space 910. P-space
920 is a ring surrounding O-space 910. The people within the FCG
are located within P-space 920. R-space 930 is the space
surrounding the P-space 920 and is also monitored by the FCG
participants.
[0096] Referring back to FIG. 8, the orientation and location of
the users is used to determine the presence of one or more FCGs
within a group of users. Each user's orientation and location is
tracked to find O-spaces (block 806).
[0097] Groups can change over time. Two groups of four people can
become a group of five people and a group of three people, a single
group eight people, or any of a variety of different sized groups.
Additional people can join or leave a group upon entering or
leaving an area being monitored. Groups can spread into subgroups,
can merge, can disappear, and the like. Both graph and topological
methods can be used to determine these behaviors. Exemplary methods
of computing entropy include the use of Von Neumann Entropy
equations to measure groupness over time and the use of Persistent
Entropy to detect group fusion in circular motifs.
[0098] Each of the interactions within and between groups can be
represented as a time-dependent network (block 808). This can be
accomplished using undirected graphs. A graph is a mathematical
structure used to model pairwise relations between objects. A graph
is an ordered pair G=(V, E) comprising a set V of vertices (or
nodes or points) together with a set of E edges associated with two
vertices. Using Von Neumann entropy equations, one can find entropy
as it relates to a graph. Using persistent homology techniques, one
can cluster shapes and discover higher dimensional correlations
that otherwise cannot be pinpointed out with classical statistical
methods. Thus, a graph can be transformed into a topological object
(block 810). Using a persistent homology algorithm, the
connectivity between the vertices can be determined, thus tracking
the group over time (block 812) by detecting temporary and
persistent groups in circular motifs. Once the model has been
deployed, it can be used for real-time analysis (block 814). In
such a manner abnormal behavior (including, but not limited to
those discussed with respect to FIG. 2), can be detected for groups
as well as individuals. In other words, the intentions of
individual groups and intentions between groups can be mined. The
mined information can be used to find abnormal behavior within a
group. In addition, the mined information can be used to formulate
emergency response plans, such as ideal escape routes and potential
problems on existing routes (block 816).
[0099] FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer
system 300, which can be used to implement one or more embodiments.
More specifically, computer system 300 can be used to implement
hardware components of systems capable of performing methods
described herein. Although one exemplary computer system 300 is
shown, computer system 300 includes a communication path 326, which
connects computer system 300 to additional systems (not depicted)
and can include one or more wide area networks (WANs) and/or local
area networks (LANs) such as the Internet, intranet(s), and/or
wireless communication network(s). Computer system 300 and
additional system are in communication via communication path 326,
e.g., to communicate data between them.
[0100] Computer system 300 includes one or more processors, such as
processor 302. Processor 302 is connected to a communication
infrastructure 304 (e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or
network). Computer system 300 can include a display interface 306
that forwards graphics, textual content, and other data from
communication infrastructure 304 (or from a frame buffer not shown)
for display on a display unit 308. Computer system 300 also
includes a main memory 310, preferably random access memory (RAM),
and can also include a secondary memory 312. Secondary memory 312
can include, for example, a hard disk drive 314 and/or a removable
storage drive 316, representing, for example, a floppy disk drive,
a magnetic tape drive, or an optical disc drive. Hard disk drive
314 can be in the form of a solid state drive (SSD), a traditional
magnetic disk drive, or a hybrid of the two. There also can be more
than one hard disk drive 314 contained within secondary memory 312.
Removable storage drive 316 reads from and/or writes to a removable
storage unit 318 in a manner well known to those having ordinary
skill in the art. Removable storage unit 318 represents, for
example, a floppy disk, a compact disc, a magnetic tape, or an
optical disc, etc. which is read by and written to by removable
storage drive 316. As will be appreciated, removable storage unit
318 includes a computer-readable medium having stored therein
computer software and/or data.
[0101] In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 312 can include
other similar means for allowing computer programs or other
instructions to be loaded into the computer system. Such means can
include, for example, a removable storage unit 320 and an interface
322. Examples of such means can include a program package and
package interface (such as that found in video game devices), a
removable memory chip (such as an EPROM, secure digital card (SD
card), compact flash card (CF card), universal serial bus (USB)
memory, or PROM) and associated socket, and other removable storage
units 320 and interfaces 322 which allow software and data to be
transferred from the removable storage unit 320 to computer system
300.
[0102] Computer system 300 can also include a communications
interface 324. Communications interface 324 allows software and
data to be transferred between the computer system and external
devices. Examples of communications interface 324 can include a
modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a
communications port, or a PC card slot and card, a universal serial
bus port (USB), and the like. Software and data transferred via
communications interface 324 are in the form of signals that can
be, for example, electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other
signals capable of being received by communications interface 324.
These signals are provided to communications interface 324 via
communication path (i.e., channel) 326. Communication path 326
carries signals and can be implemented using wire or cable, fiber
optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link, and/or
other communications channels.
[0103] In the present description, the terms "computer program
medium," "computer usable medium," and "computer-readable medium"
are used to refer to media such as main memory 310 and secondary
memory 312, removable storage drive 316, and a hard disk installed
in hard disk drive 314. Computer programs (also called computer
control logic) are stored in main memory 310 and/or secondary
memory 312. Computer programs also can be received via
communications interface 324. Such computer programs, when run,
enable the computer system to perform the features discussed
herein. In particular, the computer programs, when run, enable
processor 302 to perform the features of the computer system.
Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the
computer system. Thus it can be seen from the forgoing detailed
description that one or more embodiments provide technical benefits
and advantages.
[0104] Referring now to FIG. 4, a computer program product 400 in
accordance with an embodiment that includes a computer-readable
storage medium 402 and program instructions 404 is generally
shown.
[0105] Embodiments can be a system, a method, and/or a computer
program product. The computer program product can include a
computer-readable storage medium (or media) having
computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a
processor to carry out aspects of embodiments of the present
invention.
[0106] The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium
can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer-readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0107] Computer-readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer-readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network can comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers, and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer-readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage
in a computer-readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0108] Computer-readable program instructions for carrying out
embodiments can include assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object-oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer-readable program
instructions can execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) can execute the computer-readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer-readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform embodiments of the present invention.
[0109] Embodiments may be implemented using one or more
technologies. In some embodiments, an apparatus or system may
include one or more processors and memory storing instructions
that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the
apparatus or system to perform one or more methodological acts as
described herein. Various mechanical components known to those of
skill in the art may be used in some embodiments.
[0110] Embodiments may be implemented as one or more apparatuses,
systems, and/or methods. In some embodiments, instructions may be
stored on one or more computer program products or
computer-readable media, such as a transitory and/or non-transitory
computer-readable medium. The instructions, when executed, may
cause an entity (e.g., a processor, apparatus or system) to perform
one or more methodological acts as described herein.
[0111] While the present disclosure has been described with
reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be
made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In
addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular
situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure
without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it
is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for
carrying out this present disclosure, but that the present
disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of
the claims.
* * * * *